Geography and Ecology
The CCC sanctuary is located in the Parc National du Haut Niger (Park) located approximately
450 km from Conakry, the capital city in Guinea, and 50 kilometers from Faranah.
The European Union funds the 54,000-hectare park, but the Guinean government owns the land.
The park is only open in the dry season.
Geography
 Guinea has four zones: a narrow coastal plain; the Fouta
Djalon Plateau; the northeastern, dry lowlands; and the forests
in the southeast. At over 1.5 km, the Fouta Djalon Plateau
is the source of the Gambia and Senagal rivers, and much of
the Niger. Southeastern Guinea is hilly and heavily vegetated.
Due to fires and cultivation however, little virgin rainforest
remains. Click the Africa
icon to the right for a map of Guinea.
Climate
  Guinea
is one of the wettest countries in West Africa. Rainfall at
the coast averages 4.3 meters per year (half of which falls
in July and August) while the central mountainous region receives
about 2.2 meters. Temperatures average 30 degrees C along
the coast, are slightly cooler inland, and can fall below
10 degrees C in the higher elevations.
Ecology & Environment
 Two
of the major environmental concerns in Guinea are deforestation
and the bushmeat trade. Although environmental exploitation
has been mostly small-scale due to limited mechanization,
it has increased recently due to the improved road system.
Guinea has many protected areas, however in practice there is no enforcement of environmental regulations. The country has two national parks: Parc Transfrontalier Niokolo-Badiar near Koundara and Parc National du Haut Niger, northeast of Faranah. Faranah is the starting point for visits to Haut Niger, and the highest point along the River Niger.
 This park occupies 647,000 hectares (including inhabited buffer zones) between Faranah and Koundara. It protects one of the last remaining dry ecosystems in West Africa. The Park headquarters are in Sidakoro, 45 km from Faranah. The park is opened year-round.
Near the center of the park, about 30 km from Sidakoro, is the village of Somoria, neighbor to the Chimpanzee Conservation Center.
The CCC is only accessible with a very sturdy 4x4.
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